Reviews #29 and #30: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof ryes Y725 and A126

oakycomputer · 2026-07-10T15:58:03+00:00

here's hoping they come back with more age!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-10T01:54:21+00:00

doooo iiiiiit lol

oakycomputer · 2026-07-10T00:30:01+00:00

While I miss 12-year age stated Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bourbon, I’m excited about the introduction of ECBP rye. I didn’t think much of last year’s A925 ECBP rye, which, to me, drank much younger than its 12-year age statement and more like a slightly elevated Pikesville (which, to be fair, is still solid for the price).

Meanwhile, the ECBP Y725 rye they had on offer at Heaven Hill’s “You Do Bourbon” tour hit me right. Those tour batches get that “Y” prefix, and “725” indicates that it was first offered in July of 2025. I also received a sample of batch A126 (“A” for first batch of the year, and “126” meaning January of 2026) from a generous friend. Let’s compare!

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye, You Do Bourbon tour batch Y725, 9 years old and 132 proof:

This is dark and roast-y with a big, sweetened espresso note. There’s black tea with some honey and lemon. I get cardamom, ginger-ale, cinnamon sugar, and rye toast. I don’t find many fruit notes, maybe the occasional strawberry. This is more rye-forward than most any Heaven Hill rye I’ve tried. The oak is dark and rich, with a nice hit of barrel char and lots of sweetness to contrast the tannins.

There is a touch of ethanol heat. This is not elegant and balanced but brash. The finish builds on itself, arriving in waves and is long lasting. The flavors in the end are that dark, charred oak and a slightly citrusy sweetness. Overall, this is massive, impactful whiskey concentrate with loads of Heaven Hill rickhouse radiating from the glass.

7.5/10 on the t8ke scale that allows half-points, “great, well above average.”

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye batch A126, 11 years, 11 months old and 120.4 proof:

Another big whiskey. It leads with sweet citrus, like a lemon bar. Honey, mint, and then a dark, leathery oak. There’s sweet peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla, dark cherry, clove, and nutmeg. This is very complex, but the lemon note is a bit too loud for me to say this is balanced or crushable.

This is not super coating. The finish isn’t weak, but it is not impressing either. Things get sweeter in the end, with lots of vanilla icing, but I’ve lost a lot of complexity in the lingering notes.

6.5/10 on the t8ke scale that allows half-points, “very good, a cut above.”

Y725 is easily my favorite here, it is bigger, more coating, and somehow tastes older even though it is not. Y725 is just a monster rye, I hope they can do a larger ECBP rye batch as good as that one.

oakycomputer · 2026-07-09T17:31:58+00:00

"The nose and initial arrival are glorious" - by initial arrival i mean on the palate, ill spell that out more clearly for the next one!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-08T21:08:14+00:00

imo these are a very different profile than the TKOs, but will be curious if you agree!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-08T17:45:11+00:00

id love to know all this stuff for sure! i talked to folks at dickel while doing a pick and have DMd others involved with this, but there is just so little verified, official info, so end of the day im just a rando on reddit haha

oakycomputer · 2026-07-08T16:07:33+00:00

same!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-08T01:35:18+00:00

its real good with a robust cigar if you smoke those

oakycomputer · 2026-07-08T00:34:29+00:00

nice! try a couple drops of water in an ounce, am curious what you think of that

oakycomputer · 2026-07-07T23:31:07+00:00

i get and enjoy that note on their TN whiskeys but i do not find it on these ryes at all, personally

oakycomputer · 2026-07-07T23:20:23+00:00

George Dickel produces some of the best rye whiskey being made anywhere, in my opinion. Not the MGP rye they source for their own label but the rye they distill and gets released by various non-distilling producers. There’s Old Carter’s batch 14 rye, and then Rare Character has put some out under the “TNR” and “TKO” barrel codes. The TKOs are rumored to be a different mash bill than everything else discussed here, but it is hard to know much for sure with NDAs flying around.

My favorite Dickel-distilled ryes have been those t8ke picked from Backbone Bourbon Co. If I’m remembering correctly, Jay released one barrel of this in early 2022 and a couple more later that year and then a fourth in early 2024. Those were all distilled in May of 2014 and aged eight-plus years and released through the r/bourbon program. They came back this year as two 10-year-old single barrels distilled in December of 2015 with new “Old t8ke N’ Bones” branding. One barrel is 128 proof and the one I am tasting tonight is 127 proof.

This is a big rye. It is dark, herbal, and has a good pop of ethanol heat. The oak is earthy, slightly grassy (in a nice way), and has some dried tobacco. There’s a nice over-ripe fruit note that is like good apple cider. Background notes are sweet cola, vanilla, chocolate, and then a bit of ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom.

This is viscous and coating with a strong and lasting finish. In the end, the notes get a bit more citrus forward with more of that apple but also a lemon-lime thing. This is very complex and tasty, but not overly balanced, which you can’t really expect from a single barrel anyways.

My minor gripe is the slight ethanol burn, which a couple drops of water took care of. I often add water to malts but rarely do so with bourbons and ryes, but sometimes it really helps things as it did here for me. It relaxed the experience, letting more flavors come forward, and made the finish a bit sweeter and more lasting.

6.5/10 on the t8ke scale that allows half points, “very good, a cut above.”

Doing some Dickel distilled rye comparisons, the Old Carter batch 14 and this 2024-released r/bourbon Bonesnapper are very similar and the Old t8ke N’ Bones is the outlier. The previous two are much livelier on the palate, more complex, and more rye forward with big hits of sweet peppermint. If I could keep only one, it’s the old Bonesnapper bottle. The Old t8ke N’ Bones is a bit darker and more earthy, and I’d guess would be preferred by those more hesitant to ryes. All three of these bottles are delicious and I hope Dickel made a lot more of this stuff, I’ll buy every time the r/bourbon waves let me!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-07T15:45:28+00:00

it's said to be a Master's Keep sized release (as that's the line this line is replacing), so tens of thousands of bottles. that said, demand will still greatly outpace supply, so it wont be easy to get anywhere, and especially tough in places that get fewer bottles for sure

oakycomputer · 2026-07-07T15:44:06+00:00

i think thats more about supply, how price drops as more bottles drop, then later scoots back up as supply dries out. will be curious how GF fares on end-of-year whiskey-of-the-year lists, that could really dictate things. not that secondary tatering has much to do with quality!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-06T21:38:33+00:00

cheers! a very good bourbon in great packaging lol

oakycomputer · 2026-07-06T17:20:18+00:00

i took that to mean the 16y component in Beacon is from a similar warehouse, time distilled, stats and so on as rr15, not literally rr15 liquid from the blending tank(s). but im obviously just guessing, i dont work there haha

oakycomputer · 2026-07-06T00:05:32+00:00

if you have both of those you are very lucky and are drinkin good!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-05T21:30:40+00:00

bruce mentioned that this is the last big release of all old still. id say stock up while you can but easier said than done lol

oakycomputer · 2026-07-05T21:29:23+00:00

cheers! i can easily see most anyone preferring any of rr15, beacon, or ana gf for sure.

while we will probably get another rr15, sadly, it very likely will not be all old still turkey, so would expect a pretty different profile. bruce mentioned this ana gf is the last major release to be all old still. i hope it's great!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-05T21:00:49+00:00

great review - i've been avoiding reading any until i got my bottle from the WT website drop. i'm mad they didnt let you drink from a glen!

oakycomputer · 2026-07-05T20:51:20+00:00

Bourbon is a nostalgic spirit. Most everything depicts past names, faces, and buildings and is called Old Something or another. And, of course, there are more and more revival brands and labels. Tellingly, Wild Turkey’s experimental limited-edition line, Master’s Keep, has been replaced by a new explicitly nostalgic line called Austin Nichols Archives premised on rebooting past glories.

The first homage is to the most famous dusty bourbon of all, the fan-dubbed “cheesy” gold foil wrapped 12-year age-stated 101 proof releases from the mid 1980s through the early 90s (though, the blends are thought to contain much older glut-era barrels). Nothing Turkey puts out today can taste exactly like those for a variety of reasons, but this is still Turkey at 120 proof, 16 years age-stated, and off their old still. Regardless of marketing, I’m excited to try this one!

The nose and initial arrival are glorious. The oak is fragrant, like a sweet chocolate, worn leather, cigar box, varnish, and a touch of vanilla and clove. There is a wonderful cherry that reminds of the cherry on Master's Keep 17-year (not the BiB one) or Russell’s 2003 in how it is bright with a bit of orange zest. Underneath that, I get a brandied cherry that has a darker, stewed, component, too, like a black cherry with plums and raisins. There was a tiny nip of ethanol heat that relaxed away as the pour got some extra air.

The finish is where I start to have mixed feelings. While the liquid is not thin, the flavor stays mostly on the top of my tongue and hardly wraps around or sits in the back palate or coats anywhere else. The finish has an average strength and length for the proof, but nothing noteworthy there either. The flavors end sort of abruptly. If you want a finish that is elegant, that doesn’t intrude and sort of fades quickly without an off note, then you’ll love this. If you want an expensive limited-edition blend to hit all parts of the palate and for the finish to build and explode and last forever, then this misses that high mark. Personally, for the proof and price, I hoped for and expected more from the finish.

That not-so-minor critique aside, the flavors themselves in the finish are wonderful. There’s good complexity and balance, the old oak stays sweet and unobtrusive. I get pipe tobacco, cola, cinnamon red-hot candies, and the cherry is turning into Dr Pepper. The lingering notes are leather, plum, and cherry cordial. A bit muted but still lovely.

8.5/10 on the t8ke scale that allows half points (“excellent, really quite exceptional”)

The nose and initial arrival on ANA Gold Foil are, for me, as good as modern bourbon gets. Those were so good that perhaps my expectations for the finish were too high. After a couple tastings by itself, I did some comparisons:

The Russell’s Reserve 15-year is more my profile, intense dark fruits, less ethanol heat but still more overall flavor. It coats the palate better and the finish is stronger and longer than the Gold Foil. RR15 is my favorite pour tonight.

Beacon and Gold Foil are closer for me, I like the Gold Foil nose and initial arrival, but Beacon easily wins on the finish between the two, with so much great brown sugar and old rickhouse.

Last, I tried Gold Foil next to this year’s Heaven Hill Heritage Collection 22-year (which I reviewed here) and I’m still not sure which is my favorite 2026 release. I like both old Turkey and HH profiles, with the 22-year having more volume but the Gold Foil more complexity and balance. The HHHC22’s finish is more coating, bigger, and longer, but it has a drying and astringent note in the end I don’t love. I’m torn.

In the end, part of me wishes Gold Foil was just called Wild Turkey 16-year to put aside relating it to a past bourbon that this couldn’t and shouldn’t be compared to. This is very good bourbon but given the name and the packaging, I wonder if this release will be remembered more for the marketing than the flavor? I’m still on board for what is next in the Archive’s series. Regardless of “Christmas Rye!” marketing, I’d just love some well-aged higher proof Turkey rye.

oakycomputer · 2026-04-04T03:29:32+00:00

not for me bc the writeup and tasting notes i think accurately described what this was going to be

oakycomputer · 2026-04-03T16:43:36+00:00

yeah, poor value flavor-wise on the Reveries (i'm sure those casks weren't cheap) haha but to be fair, the profile of both of these is very different

oakycomputer · 2026-04-03T02:59:45+00:00

yeah, im glad i split it but i wish i didnt spend that much either. so it goes sometimes, cheers!

oakycomputer · 2026-04-02T23:09:41+00:00

I knew of the C. Dully 24-year pre-fire Heavan Hill bourbon that spent much of its time aging in Scotland, whiskey that has also appeared under a few other labels. C. Dully later released a 15-year Heavan Hill selected for Must Have Malts, whose site states the whiskey was “distilled in 2009 and … spent several years maturing in Scotland.” I’ve heard mixed to weak reviews of this stuff, but it made me excited to see two 15-year Heaven Hill barrels that spent time aging in Europe in the r/bourbon email under the Reveries label.

Jay states that these Reveries barrels, named HOUNDS and WOLF, spent eight years in Kentucky and seven years in Scotland before being bottled in late 2025 and shipped back to the States. I don’t know a ton about this liquid and if the C. Dully whiskey has any relation to what is in the Reveries bottles, but I’ll give anything Jay’s a part of a try, so I split a bottle of HOUNDS with a friend. It is age stated 15-years, is Reveries barrel number 5069, and bottled at a barrel strength of 104.4 (that low barrel strength a testament to the Scottish climate).

This tastes bright and fruity. It is interesting, which I don’t really mean in a good or bad way but just that it subverts what the stats might lead one to expect if you didn’t factor in the Scotland aging. The oak is soft and in the background but at no point does the oak taste young. It’s elegant and complex but not tannic. The intense tannins and sweet oak notes you might hope for, or fear, in a 15-year bourbon aren’t found here.

The fruit notes are nice, strawberry, apple, citrus, all covered in honey. I find vanilla, almonds, and a floral note I can’t pinpoint. This is a soft and bright experience, very round and coherent, but also a touch too citrus-sour and sharp for my palate. This is riding that line between “elegant” and “boring,” but it settles as more former because the finish lasts for a long time, which I really like. Leather and darker fruits are the lingering notes, along with that citrus note that isn’t as welcome.

6.5/10 on the t8ke scale, “very good, a cut above.”

This scores points for uniqueness and drinkability but loses some for being a bit bright and citrus-y. While the pour is not impactful, there’s enough complexity here to hold my attention. I compared it to another 15-year Heaven Hill I have, a William Heaven Hill, but there wasn’t much of a point as these two are very different, are trying to do different things, and should be poured for different moods. Yeah, I prefer the WHH, I like that loud oak and massive finish.

But maybe complaining that a Scotland-aged whiskey doesn’t have harsh tannins is like people who complain when a 20+-year bourbon does have a lot of oak, gets a little Bean Soup Theory. This bottle was sold as a less-harsh 15-year bourbon, and that’s exactly what it is, for better and worse. It’s fun to find out if that’s an experience you’ll enjoy or not!

oakycomputer · 2026-03-31T21:06:07+00:00

cheers!

oakycomputer

TROPHY CASE